Document Content

DECISION

Approving the adjusted and supplemented planning on irrigation in the Mekong River Delta in the 2006-2010 period with orientations toward 2020

THE PRIME MINISTER

Pursuant to the December 25, 2001 Law on Organization of the Government;

Pursuant to the May 20, 1998 Law on Water Resource;

Pursuant to the Government's Decree No. 86/2003/ND-CP of July 18, 2003, defining the functions, tasks, powers and organizational structure of the Agriculture and Rural Development Ministry;

At the proposal of the Agriculture and Rural Development Minister,

DECIDES:

Article 1.- To approve the adjusted and supplemented planning on irrigation in the Mekong River delta in the 2006-2010 period with orientations toward 2020 with the following principal contents:

I. Viewpoints:

1. The irrigation planning must be in line with the socio-economic development planning of the Mekong River delta, plannings on development of branches or domains, serve as a basis for effective implementation of the planning on restructuring of agricultural, forestry and fishery production, thus satisfying the requirements of socio-economic development promotion and maintaining security and defense, social order and safety of the whole region.

2. The irrigation development planning aims to protect and develop water resources in the upstream areas and the vicinity, harmoniously combine project solutions and non-project solutions, and concurrently mitigate harms caused by water, especially flood and saltwater infiltration, protect the environment for sustainable development.

To closely combine the irrigation development planning with traffic planning, population planning and other plannings in the region; to associate the irrigation planning with flood control, land deacidification and alum-washing, ensuring the unified, integrated and effective implementation.

3. To invest in building the irrigation system for comprehensive service and multi-purposes, bringing into full play the region's agricultural, fishery and forestry advantages, protecting the environment for sustainable development, ensuring its uniformity throughout the region and compatibility with particular characteristics of each area, creating conditions for the development of other economic branches, supplying daily-life water and raising the population's living standards.

Each work and each system of irrigation works proposed for construction investment must satisfy the economic, technical, social and environmental criteria.

4. To mobilize all resources from the state budget (central and local budgets) and other lawful capital sources at home and abroad, and at the same time mobilize the population's contributions for investment in the region's irrigation system.

5. To make full use of benefits brought about by natural resources such as flood water leaves alluvial deposit, brings aquatic and marine resources and washes fields, saltwater sustains submerged forests, coastal ecosystem and aquaculture, etc.

Tentative plans and solutions of the region's irrigation development planning must be further updated, adjusted and supplemented to suit newly arising demands and practices.

II. OBJECTIVES

1. General objectives

a/ To study, adjust and supplement the planning so as to create a rational irrigation system which can practically serve the agricultural, forestry and aquacultural production and rural development, solve socio-economic issues and matters related to people's daily life, environmental protection and sustainable development.

b/ Basing themselves on this planning's contents, branches and administrations of all levels shall elaborate, adjust and supplement their own plannings to suit the general development orientations of the Mekong River delta in particular and the whole Meking River basin in general;

c/ To propose priority irrigation programs and investment projects and annual plans on implementation thereof in the 2006-2010 period with orientations toward 2020;

d/ To propose the handling of unsolved problems, further study the supplementation of the plannings, including flood control planning, in service of population stabilization and rational development of communications in flood-stricken areas.

2. Specific objectives

a/ To develop agriculture on the basis of Mekong River's flow in dry season and saltwater infiltration, in harmony with:

- The perfection of the coastal and riparian breakwater systems to efficiently serve the agricultural development, people's daily life and aquaculture, and appropriate measures against high tide;

- The building of the system of culverts to prevent saltwater infiltration, retain freshwater, enhance the supply of freshwater from rivers and efficiently use rainwater in coastal agricultural production areas with a view to stabilizing and expanding land areas irrigated with freshwater.

For areas where agricultural production is shifted to fishery production, together with the retention of freshwater, it is necessary to create favorable conditions for saltwater to flow into and out of the fields for safe and sustainable aquacultural production;

- The rational scheduling of crop seasons to conserve water for irrigation and raise use efficiency of freshwater sources in dry season;

- The acceleration of building of flood control works to facilitate the shifting of crop seasons and development of fisheries.

b/ To develop the flood control in the direction of "co-existence with flood" and minimize impacts on runoff courses, in harmony with:

- The raising of capability to control flood for agriculture, population quarters and infrastructures on the basis of researching into the impacts of headwater floods and effects of flood control on aquatic resources and aquaculture development;

- The application of harmonious solutions to controlling early floods (mainly with the system of embankments) in order to reduce damage to Summer-Autumn rice crops, stabilize and raise agricultural productivity and concurrently retain as much as possible alluvial deposit, food and aquatic breeding sources at the beginning of flood season, thus minimizing adverse impacts on ecological environment and not blocking mid-season flood streams.

To restructure and reschedule crops in order to temporally adapt them to flood control areas and facilitate the fishery development;

- The minimization of impacts of flood control works on distribution of runoff courses (in the system of rivers and canals) in order to increase the capacity to retain moisture in soil, stabilize underground water level and limit the saltwater infiltration.

To assess environmental impacts on ecosystems in flooded areas, particularly on aquatic and marine breeds and species in vulnerable wet land areas. To study, assess and take measures to handle impacts of flood control on the riverbed deformation and landslides, especially in Tien river and Hau river.

c/ To further renovate and stabilize the development of agriculture in alum soil; to well satisfy demands for breeds and farming techniques in agriculture; to improve irrigation, drainage, land deacidification and alum-washing solutions for stable production development in alum soil areas currently used for agricultural production; to continue investing in research into transformation of land areas heavily impregnated with alum for other use purposes in order to raise the efficiency of exploitation and use of alum soil.

d/ To stabilize the development of agriculture in salinized land and raise the efficiency of production restructuring in coastal areas, in harmony with:

- The adequate supply of freshwater source in coastal land areas for purpose of transforming salinized land, serving agricultural and aquacultural production and improving the life of local people;

- The combination of agricultural production with aquaculture by investing in irrigation works, and concurrently accelerating the building of the infield irrigation system in service of diversification of production, especially agricultural and aquacultural production.

III. MAIN TASKS AND MAJOR SOLUTIONS

1. Main tasks

a/ Branches and localities in the region shall coordinate with one another in revising and finalizing the development planning of each branch or locality, concentrating on such important economic branches as agriculture, fisheries, forestry, communication as well as population till 2010 with orientations toward 2020.

b/ To work out the irrigation planning, which covers the control of natural calamities and the development of water sources in the Mekong River delta, in line with development strategies of branches and local administrations;

c/ To solve, on the basis of the irrigation development strategy, such pivotal matters as flood control, saltwater infiltration control, irrigation, flood water drainage, land deacidification, soil improvement and production restructuring, in order to achieve the objectives of the socio-economic development in the Mekong River delta.

2. Major solutions

a/ For the left bank area of Tien river

The left bank area of Tien river covers three sub-areas, including north of Nguyen Van Tiep canal, south of Nguyen Van Tiep canal and the land strip lying between two Vam Co rivers. The water sources for this area come mainly from Tien river, partly from Vam Co Dong river (with the addition of Dau Tieng irrigation system) and rainwater. The main draining direction for this area is downstream Tien river and to the system of Vam Co rivers.

The sub-area north of Nguyen Van Tiep canal is mainly tasked to control flood, supply irrigating water for the sub-area and help deacidify and wash salinized land in downstream areas, in service of population stabilization and development of flood-proof infrastructures.

The sub-area south of Nguyen Van Tiep canal is substantially supplied with freshwater and isolated from saltwater and must well coordinate with the northern sub-area in draining flood water to Tien river and protecting orchards.

The sub-area lying between two Vam Co rivers is mainly tasked to control saltwater infiltration and make the fullest use of freshwater sources from Tien river and Vam Co Dong river, coordinate with the whole area in draining water and improving the environment, especially in alum soil and salinized soil areas, and at the same time prepare plans to cope with high tide, serve agriculture and fisheries, supply water for people's daily life, industry and environmental protection.

b/ For the area lying between Tien river and Hau river

The area lying between Tien river and Hau river is divided into four sub-areas, including north of Vinh An canal, north of Mang Thit river, south of Mang Thit river and Ben Tre. The water sources for this area come mainly from Tien river and Hau river. The draining direction for this area is mainly to Hau river and partly to Tien river.

The sub-area north of Vinh An, which is advantageous in freshwater source, is mainly tasked to control flood for population stabilization and agricultural development.

The sub-area north of Mang Thit, which also has an abundant freshwater source, is mainly tasked to improve the water supply, water drainage and flood control by transversal canals, serve the population stabilization and agricultural development, and protect orchards.

The sub-area south of Mang Thit is mainly tasked to control saltwater infiltration, supply freshwater, drain flood water, serve the population stabilization and develop agriculture and fisheries.

The sub-area of Ben Tre, where exists Ba Lai culvert-dam work, is mainly tasked to control flood in the northern part of Ben Tre province, control saltwater, supply freshwater, drain flood water for the purposes of population stabilization and development of agriculture (including protection of orchards) and fisheries in the southern part of the province.

c/ For Ca Mau peninsula

Ca Mau peninsula consists of 6 sub-areas, including west of Hau river, U Minh Thuong, U Minh Ha, Quan Lo ' Phung Hiep, south of Ca Mau and Bac Lieu ' Vinh Chau coast. The main water sources for the area come from Hau river through axis canals and rainwater. Rainwater is very important in the western, southern and coastal sub-areas. The main water-draining direction for the area is the river system of Cai Lon ' Cai Be, Ong Doc, Ganh Hao, My Thanh, ... then to the sea.

The sub-area west of Hau river is mainly tasked to control flood (largely from Long Xuyen quadrangle), drain flood water, enhance the capability of supplying freshwater and controlling saltwater in the area contiguous to Cai Lon ' Cai Be rivers.

The sub-area of U Minh Thuong is mainly tasked to control saltwater, retain rainwater, step by step supply freshwater from Hau river, stabilize the population, protect agricultural and aquaculture production, especially in U Minh Thuong national garden.

The sub-area of U Minh Ha, which is oriented to develop into a freshwater ecological zone, should perfect the breakwater system west of and along Ong Doc river and the system of under-dike saltwater-controlling culverts to raise the capability of retaining and storing rainwater in service of population stabilization, agriculture and protection of cajeput forests, including U Minh Ha national garden.

The sub-area of Quan Lo ' Phung Hiep, which is in the process of transferring some land areas impregnated with freshwater for aquaculture, should rationalize its irrigation system, with special attention paid to delimitation boundaries between freshwater areas and saltwater areas in service of agricultural and aquaculture stablization.

The sub-area south of Ca Mau, a biodiversity area rich in potentials for aquaculture development, is mainly tasked to stably retain and store freshwater and form the system of works for taking in saltwater and draining wastewater in service of aquaculture.

The sub-area of Bac Lieu 'Vinh Chau coast, which is advantageous for aquaculture development on industrial scale, is tasked to prevent saltwater infiltration, retain rainwater, drain or take in saltwater according to requirements.

d/ For Long Xuyen quadrangle area

Long Xuyen quadrangle area is mainly tasked to control flood, raise the capability of supplying freshwater from rivers, drain flood water, deacidify soil and control saltwater level in coastal areas in service of population stabilization, agricultural, aquaculture and infrastructure development. In this area, investment has already been made in the development of a fairly complete flood control system.

To further invest in the development of irrigation in service of fisheries, perfect the flood control system, raise the capability of supplying freshwater from Hau river into fields, deacidifying soil, washing alum and controlling saltwater.

IV. LONG-TERM PLANNING ORIENTATIONS TO COPE WITH UPSTREAM IMPACTS

The Agriculture and Rural Development Ministry shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Mekong River Committee, international organizations and the regional countries in, regularly researching and monitoring water sources both qualitatively and quantitatively in order to promptly propose active and appropriate measures to cope with unfavorable circumstances, for national interests and common interests of the regional countries.

In order to take initiative in coping with the shortage of freshwater in dry season, importance should be attached to the application of the following measures:

1. Restructuring agricultural production, rationally scheduling crop seasons, saving water, especially during the period from March to May every year.

2. Dredging canals and building culverts at two ends of each main canal to regulate water flow and store water when necessary.

3. Studying the construction of reservoirs for flood control and water storage in dry season which may additionally supply water for irrigation, daily life, tourism, etc.

After 2010, to study the possibility of building large-scale works in estuaries in order to ensure sufficient freshwater sources in any circumstances for socio-economic development and environmental protection.

Article 2.- Order of planning implementation and investment capital source

1. Basing themselves on the contents of this planning and the annual state budget balancing capability according to the provisions of the State Budget Law, the Agriculture and Rural Development Ministry, the People's Committees of the provinces and cities in the Mekong River delta and concerned ministries and branches shall set an order of priority and ensure synchronous and efficient investment. Concretely, they should implement the planning in the following order of priority:

a/ Uncompleted works being units of synchronous systems which should be completed as soon as possible for efficient operation;

b/ Urgent works and works of high efficiency in service of key programs on the region's socio-economic development;

c/ Works for protection of population in flooded areas and arterial roads where traffic and irrigation purposes are integrated;

d/ Works for protection of orchards;

e/ Works for delineation of boundaries between saltwater and freshwater areas and works in service of brackish water aquaculture;

f/ Works for flood water drainage, sea dikes and estuary dikes;

g/ Works for drainage of overflow floods in border areas in Dong Thap Muoi and Long Xuyen quadrangle;

h/ Axial canals for irrigation, drainage and soil improvement, other works, infield works.

2. Mechanism and estimated construction investment capital for irrigation projects and works in the Mekong River delta

a/ In the 2006-2010, the total investment capital is estimated at around VND 14,000 billion, of which VND 5,000 billion come from the central budget for investment in building of key works, source canals, axial/grade-I canals (see the list in Appendix I to this Decision); VND 6,000 billion from local budgets (for building of small-sized works and improvement of grade-II canals); VND 3,000 billion from people's contributions and other lawful capital sources, which shall be used for perfecting the infield canal and ditch system.

In the 2006-2010 period, investment capital shall be concentrated on completing uncompleted investment projects and works, which are truly urgent and may efficiently operate in localities, so that they will be put into operation and use as soon as possible according to objectives and schedules approved by competent authorities.

Investment capital sources: Annual state budget capital (central and local budgets, government bonds, ODA), contributions of population in areas benefiting from the planning and other lawful capital sources.

b/ The post-2010 period with orientations toward 2020

- To complete works for flood water drainage and saltwater control and axial canals for irrigation and drainage, which are left uncompleted from the previous period. To commence the construction of a number of large-sized works for saltwater control and freshwater retention downstream rivers of Cai Lon - Cai Be, Ham Luong, Vam Co, etc.

To build other irrigation works in service of fisheries in coastal areas and realize the rice cultivation-aquaculture models in freshwater ecological zones (see the list of planned works in Appendix II to this Decision).

- For the list of projects and works planned to be executed in the 2011-2015 period and up to 2020, an order of priority should be set and the structure of investment capital sources from the central budget, local budgets, capital sources mobilized from the population in areas benefiting from the planning, economic organizations and ODA resources for the planning implementation should be clearly determined.

Article 3.- Organization of implementation

1. The Agriculture and Rural Development Ministry shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with other ministries, branches and localities in:

- Directing the thorough study and realization of development objectives, contents and orientations as well as the application of planning solutions, and managing the planning on irrigation and protection of water sources and irrigation works in the 2006-2010 period, with orientations toward 2020.

- Guiding and inspecting the implementation of detailed irrigation plannings by each area or locality.

- Coordinating with provincial People's Committees in setting the order of priority for projects and works according to such purposes as: irrigation for aquaculture, high-quality rice fields for export, flood water drainage, waterway navigation, fight against drought and saltwater infiltration, etc.

- Directing the specific determination of the structure of investment capital sources from the central budget, capital mobilized by localities and other capital sources including also ODA, and proposing solutions and policies to attract investment capital sources for development of the region's irrigation system.

2. The People's Committees of provinces and cities in the Mekong River delta shall direct functional agencies in thoroughly studying and implementing the planning under the unified direction by the Agriculture and Rural Development Ministry.

3. The Planning and Investment Ministry shall assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with the Finance Ministry, the Agriculture and Rural Development Ministry and concerned ministries, branches and localities in, balancing and allocating annual investment capital according to the provisions of the State Budget Law for the materialization of this planning's contents. It shall also have to monitor and supervise investment, ensuring that investment capital sources for works and projects are used for proper purposes and with efficiency.

4. Other ministries and branches shall, within the ambit of their functions and tasks, have to closely coordinate with the Agriculture and Rural Development Ministry and the People's Committees of provinces and cities in the Mekong River delta in efficiently materializing the adjusted and supplemented contents of the planning on irrigation in the Mekong River delta in the 2006-2010 period with orientations toward 2020, and concurrently considering and adjusting plannings of their branches or localities in line with this planning.

Article 4.- This Decision takes effect 15 days after its publication in "CONG BAO."

Article 5.- Ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies, heads of Government-attached agencies, and presidents of People's Committees of provinces and cities in the Mekong River delta shall have to implement this Decision.